calamity

«calamity» in Mova's school dictionary: A terrible event that causes great damage, loss or… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

noun (a calamity, calamities)

meaning for a pupil

1) A terrible event that causes great damage, loss or suffering, like an earthquake or a flood. tree →

2) (informal, joking) A small accident or mess made to sound big ("It's a calamity: I've lost my pencil!"). tree →

sense in the lessons

Used in geography and news (natural calamities), stories (a great calamity struck the kingdom) and jokingly in everyday life. It tells the reader something really bad, or comically bad, happened. Phrases: natural calamity, a calamity struck, Calamity Jane (a nickname for someone who has many accidents).

examples

• The flood was a calamity for the whole village. tree →
• A great calamity struck the kingdom. tree →
• Spilling the paint on the carpet was a calamity. tree →
• Earthquakes are natural calamities. tree →
• Oh no, what a calamity, we've run out of milk! tree →
• The war brought calamity to many families. tree →
• Losing the map was a calamity on our hike. tree →
• Whenever you are in any calamity just think of me. tree →

note

Plural: calamities (y becomes ies). Adjective: calamitous. Similar: disaster, catastrophe. Sometimes used as a joke for small problems; context tells you.

In the corpora

• They confronted me in the day of my calamity; but the LORD was a stay unto me.
• For hark! one declareth from Dan, and announceth calamity from the hills of Ephraim:
• The calamity of Moab is near to come, and his affliction hasteth fast.
• They confronted me in the day of my calamity; but the LORD was a stay unto me.
• I also, in your calamity, will laugh, I will mock when your dread cometh;

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «calamity» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.